In certain aspects, the present invention relates generally to apparatuses and systems for retrofitting water control valves used in home or industrial water distribution systems that supply water to various fixtures at different temperatures through different pipe systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatuses and systems for retrofitting such water control valves to incorporate a bypass valve or other operating improvements, such as pressure balancing, without requiring removal or replacement of the valve housing that is mounted in the water distribution system. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to apparatuses and systems for retrofitting a tub/shower water control valve to incorporate a bypass valve so as to bypass cold or tepid water away from the associated fixture until it reaches the desired temperature.
In other aspects, the present invention relates generally to faucets and bypass valves for use in home or industrial water distribution systems that supply water to various fixtures at different temperatures through different pipes. More particularly, the present invention relates to faucets having bypass valves that are thermostatically controlled so as to automatically bypass water that is not at the desired temperature for use at the fixture. Even more particular, the present invention relates to faucets having an integral thermostatically controlled bypass valve.
Home and industrial water distribution systems distribute water to various fixtures, including sinks, bathtubs, showers, dishwashers and washing machines, that are located throughout the house or industrial building. The typical water distribution system brings water in from an external source, such as a city main water line or a private water well, to the internal water distribution piping system. The water from the external source is typically either at a cold or cool temperature. One segment of the piping system takes this incoming cold water and distributes it to the various cold water connections located at the fixtures where it will be used (i.e., the cold water side of a tub/shower valve). Another segment of the piping system delivers the incoming cold water to a water heater which heats the water to the desired temperature and distributes it to the various hot water connections where it will be used (i.e., the hot water side of the tub/shower valve). At the fixture, cold and hot water either flows through separate hot and cold water control valves that are independently operated to control the temperature of the water into the fixture by controlling the flow rate of water from the separate valves or, as is more typical for tub/shower installations, the water is mixed at a single valve that selectively controls the desired water temperature flowing from the fixture.
A well-known problem with most home and industrial water distribution systems is that hot water is not always readily available at the hot water side of the fixture when it is desired. This problem is particularly acute in water use fixtures that are located a distance from the hot water heater or in systems with poorly insulated pipes. When the hot water side of these fixtures is left closed for some time, such as overnight, the hot water in the hot water segment of the piping system sits in the pipes and cools. As a result, the temperature of the water between the hot water heater and the fixture lowers until it becomes cold or at least tepid. When opened again, it is not at all uncommon for the hot water side of such a fixture to supply cold water through the hot water valve when it is first opened and for some time thereafter. For instance, at the bathtub and/or shower fixture located some distance away from the water heater, the person desiring to use the tub/shower will either have to initially use cold or tepid water instead of hot water or wait for the distribution system to supply hot water through the open hot water valve. Most users have learned that to obtain the desired hot water, the hot water valve must be opened and left open for some time so that the cool water in the hot water side of the piping system will flow out ahead of the more recently heated hot water. For certain fixtures, such as virtually all dishwashers and washing machines, there typically is no easy method of “draining” away the cold or tepid water in the hot water pipes prior to utilizing the water in the fixture.
The inability to have hot water at the hot water side of the fixture when it is desired creates a number of problems. One problem, as described above, is having to utilize cold or tepid water when hot water is desired. Even in those fixtures where the person can allow the cold or tepid water to flow out of the fixture until the water reaches the desired warm or hot temperature, such as a bath or shower, there are certain problems associated with such a solution. One such problem is the waste of water that flows out of the fixture through the drain and, typically, to the sewage system. This good and clean water is wasted, resulting in unnecessary water treatment after flowing through the sewage system. This waste of water is compounded when the person is inattentive and hot water begins flowing down the drain and to the sewage system. Yet another problem associated with the inability to have hot water at the hot water valve when needed is the waste of time for the person who must wait for the water to reach the desired temperature before he or she-can take a bath or shower at the desired temperature.
The use of bypass valves and/or water recirculation systems in home or industrial water distribution systems to overcome the problems described above have been known for some time. The general objective of the bypass valve or recirculation system is to avoid supplying cold or tepid water at the hot water side of the piping system when the user desires hot water. U.S. Pat. No. 2,842,155 to Peters describes a thermostatically controlled water bypass valve, shown as FIG. 2 therein, that connects at or near the fixture located away from the water heater. The inventor discusses the problems of cool “hot” water and describes a number of prior art attempts to solve the problem. The bypass valve in the Peters patent comprises a cylindrical housing having threaded ends that connect to the hot and cold water piping at the fixture so as to interconnect these piping segments. Inside the housing at the hot water side is a temperature responsive element having a valve ball at one end that can sealably abut a valve seat. The temperature responsive element is a metallic bellows that extends when it is heated to close the valve ball against the valve seat and contracts when cooled to allow water to flow from the hot side to the cold side of the piping system when both the hot and cold water valves are closed. Inside the housing at the cold water side is a dual action check valve that prevents cold water from flowing to the hot water side of the piping system when the hot water valve or the cold water valve is open. An alternative embodiment of the Peters' invention shows the use of a spiral temperature responsive element having a finger portion that moves left or right to close or open the valve between the hot and cold water piping segments. Although the invention described in the Peters' patent relies on gravity or convection flow, similar systems utilizing pumps to cause a positive circulation are increasingly known. These pumps are typically placed in the hot water line in close proximity to the fixture where “instant” hot water is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,990 to Pirkle describes a temperature-controlled water delivery system for use with showers and eye-wash apparatuses that utilize a pair of temperature responsive valves, shown as FIGS. 2 and 5 therein. These valves utilize thermally responsive wax actuators that push valve elements against springs to open or close the valves to allow fluid of certain temperatures to pass. U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,401 to Fiedrich describes a diverting valve for hydronic heating systems, best shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, that is used in conjunction with a thermostatic control head having a sensor bulb to detect the temperature of the supply water, U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,988 also to Fiedrich describes a three-way modulating diverting valve, shown as FIG. 6. A non-electric, thermostatic, automatic controller provides the force for the modulation of the valve stem against the spring. U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,570 to Peterson et al. discloses the use of a bypass valve located below a sink to divert cold water from the hot water faucet to the sewer or a water reservoir. As discussed with regard to FIG. 5, the bypass valve is used in conjunction with a separate temperature sensor.
Recirculating systems for domestic and industrial hot water heating utilizing a bypass valve are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,985 to Benham and U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,803 to Blumenauer. The Benham system utilizes a circulating pump in the return line to the water heater and a temperature responsive or thermostatically actuated bypass valve disposed between the circulating pump and the hot water heater to maintain a return flow at a temperature level below that at the outlet from the water heater. The bypass valve, shown in FIG. 2, utilizes a thermostatic actuator that extends or retracts its stem portion, having a valve member at its end, to seat or unseat the valve. When the fluid temperature reaches the desired level, the valve is unseated so that fluid that normally circulates through the return line of the system is bypassed through the circulating pump. The Blumenauer system utilizes an instantaneous hot water device comprising a gate valve and ball valve in a bypass line interconnecting the hot and cold water input lines with a pump and timer placed in the hot water line near the hot water heater.
Despite the devices and systems set forth above, many people still have problems with obtaining hot water at the hot water side of fixtures, particularly bath and/or shower fixtures, located away from the hot water heater or other source of hot water. Boosted, thermally actuated valve systems having valves that are directly operated by a thermal actuator (such as a wax filled cartridge) tend not to have any toggle action. Instead, after a few on-off cycles, the valves tend to just throttle the flow until the water reaches an equilibrium temperature, at which time the valve stays slightly cracked open. While this meets the primary function of keeping the water at a remote fixture hot, leaving the valve in a slightly open condition does present two problems. First, the lack of toggle action can result in scale being more likely to build up on the actuator because it is constantly extended. Second, the open valve constantly bleeds a small amount of hot or almost hot water into the cold water piping, thereby keeping the faucet end of the cold water pipe substantially warm. If truly cold water is desired (i.e., for brushing teeth, drinking, or making cold beverages), then some water must be wasted from the cold water faucet to drain out the warm water. If the bypass valve is equipped with a spring-loaded check valve to prevent siphoning of cold water into the hot water side when only the hot water faucet is open, then the very small flow allowed through the throttled-down valve may cause chattering of the spring loaded check valve. The chattering can be avoided by using a free floating or non-spring loaded check valve. It is also detrimental to have any noticeable crossover flow (siphoning) from hot to cold or cold to hot with any combination of faucet positions, water temperatures, or pump operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,464, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein as though fully set forth and having the same assignee as the present invention, describes an under-the-sink thermostatically controlled bypass valve and water circulating system with the bypass valve placed at or near a fixture (i.e., under the sink) to automatically bypass cold or tepid water away from the hot water side of the fixture until the temperature of the water reaches the desired level. Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/006,970, the disclosure of which is also incorporated herein as though fully set forth and having the same assignee as the present invention, describes a water control fixture having a thermostatically controlled bypass valve integral with the fixture, either in a separate chamber or in the operating valve, for bypassing cold or tepid water away from the hot side of the fixture. Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/394,795, the disclosure of which is also incorporated herein as though fully set forth and having the same assignee as the present invention, describes a bath and/or shower water control valve that is adapted to either attach to or which includes a bypass valve. Preferably, the above-mentioned bypass valves utilize a thermal actuator element that is thermally responsive to the temperature of the water to automatically control the diversion of water from the fixture, so as to maintain hot water availability at the hot water side of the fixture.
As set forth in patent application Ser. No. 10/394,795, water control fixtures typically used with bath and shower systems are incorporated into a support wall such that the water control handles and discharge faucets/heads protrude from openings in the wall. Typically, the wall opening is completely covered by a plate, referred to as an escutcheon plate, such that the water control valve is effectively located behind the wall. When it is necessary to repair or replace the water control valve, the plate is removed to allow access to the valve components located behind the wall. Due to the nature of their use, shower/tub fixtures are the most common problem areas with regard to the availability of hot water and, as such, can benefit greatly from the use of a bypass valve, such as a thermostatically controlled bypass valve, Unfortunately, retrofitting an attached or adjacent bypass valve to an existing shower control valve (i.e., one that is mounted into the water distribution system) has not been very practical. Generally, existing shower control valve designs do not lend themselves to hydraulic connections through which cooled-off water may be bypassed, as is relatively easily accomplished with angle stop hose connections under a sink. Although saddle valves could conceivably be utilized, the installation of these valves would require the gross enlargement of the opening in the shower wall. As a result, the retrofitting of an existing tub/shower installation to incorporate a bypass valve or other beneficial hydraulic improvements, such as pressure balanced valve spools and the like, has generally been impractical with existing valves and valve systems.
As is well known in the art, there are many different manufacturers of tub/shower water control valves and many different designs for such valves, particularly as many manufacturers have more than one design. Besides the currently available tub/shower water control valves, there are also a multitude of other such valves that are no longer commercially available (i.e., those replaced or upgraded with a different model). While a few manufacturers make “clones” of some of the popular designs, most of the tub/shower water-control valve designs are very different from each other. The existence of these many different designs complicates the ability to provide an apparatus and/or system for retrofitting the tub/shower water control valve to incorporate a bypass valve or other operating improvements, such as pressure balancing. None of the known prior art devices provide an apparatus or system that is adaptable for retrofitting the multitude of different tub/shower water-control valve designs to incorporate a bypass valve. What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus and system for retrofitting water control valves that is configured to be adaptable to various tub/shower water-control valves in order to add the ability to bypass cold or tepid water from the tub/shower fixture until the water flowing in the hot water side reaches the desired temperature and/or to add the ability to obtain pressure balancing or other operating improvements.